Indy Lights Schedule on Hiatus Until 2021 - Speedway Digest

INDYCAR and Andersen Promotions today announced that Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires competition will be deferred until 2021 following a joint meeting over the weekend to address several variables affecting the 2020 calendar. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and modifications to the INDYCAR race calendar as a result, multiple companion events were cancelled for the series, rendering the 2020 season no longer viable.

“The effects of the global pandemic on businesses, including racing, have been severe,” said Dan Andersen, Owner and CEO of Andersen Promotions. “The changes to our overall calendar of races as well as each event weekend’s scheduling and the ability for some of our drivers to compete has impacted the Indy Lights series far more harshly than our other two championships. With less of a cushion to begin with, it became increasingly apparent that the 2020 season was in jeopardy and the best plan was to take a pause, reconstitute for 2021, and do our best to enhance the Indy Lights championship for next season.

“After discussions with INDYCAR and understanding of their firm commitment to Indy Lights going forward, we, together, decided to suspend the 2020 Indy Lights season. We recognize that this will cause some hardships, but we hope all participants will realize the necessity of this decision and we look ahead to 2021 with a promise of better things to come.”

Indy Lights has a long history as the essential ladder series of INDYCAR with 23 of the 33 starters in the 2019 Indianapolis 500 as Road to Indy graduates, including nine Indy Lights champions. Dating back to 1986, more than 150 drivers have made the step from Indy Lights to INDYCAR. Reigning Indy Lights champion Oliver Askew and vice-champion Rinus VeeKay will become the latest to make that progression when they make their INDYCAR debuts at Texas Motor Speedway this Saturday with Arrow McLaren SP and Ed Carpenter Racing, respectively.

”The Road to Indy is extremely important to INDYCAR,” said Jay Frye, President of INDYCAR. “This was a difficult decision, knowing the impact it would have on the competitors and how disappointing it would be for the fans. However, it became clear, that we needed to focus our collective efforts on preparing for a strong 2021 Indy Lights season.”

The two junior levels of the Road to Indy – the Indy Pro 2000 Championship Presented by Cooper Tires and the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship – will continue with a full season of competition in 2020. Complete details will be finalized shortly.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.